Jim Six: A beast of our own -- the Jersey Devil

It has recently come to my attention that there’s a man named Rick Dyer who has more than once purported to display the remains of Bigfoot.

I think the most recent was a Bigfoot he claims to have shot and killed in 2012 just outside San Antonio. He’s been talking this up for two years. Didn’t show off the body right away, though, which I suppose could be considered suspect.

Do people believe him? I’m sure they do, even though he has admitted that “there’s no more evidence for Bigfoot than the Tooth Fair or the Easter Bunny.” He has also said this: “I have taken people out to hunt for Bigfoot and all the time I was thinking in my head, ‘Why would someone pay to go out to hunt for something that does not exist? But people do. It’s really easy to trick people. People that believe in Bigfoot are not idiots … they’re just really naïve and they’re missing something in their lives, so they want to believe in something they know deep down inside, it does not exist.”

Yet, people crave proof of the non-existent. The Yeti, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, UFOs.

Where, I can’t help but wonder, are the folks craving sightings of the Jersey Devil?

I think the Jersey Devil needs a better press agent.

Sure, there are tons of stories about the origin of the Jersey Devil.

I’ve read that the Lenni Lenape called the Pine Barrens “Popuessing,” which means “place of the dragon.” Later, Swedes called it Drake Kill, drake being a word for dragon and kill being a Dutch word for a river or stream.

We all have heard about how Mother Leeds, an alleged witch who lived in the Pine Barrens, had a 13th child who transformed from a normal infant to a monster with hooves, a goat head, bat wings and a forked tail.

They say a clergyman exorcized the Jersey Devil in 1740 for 100 years and that it wasn’t seen again until 1890 or so.

Cumberland County singer/storyteller Jim Albertson can bend your ear about the Jersey Devil, spinning fascinating tales from the folklore of the region. But that's past history.

There were a rash of sighting in 1909/1910 — I’ve read old newspaper items that were headlined “What Is It?”

But my point is this: While there are people constantly seeking sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs and aliens, there aren’t people seeking glimpses of the Jersey Devil.

It’s folklore, folks. That means stories that pass from person to person, by word of mouth. This means it is, by its very nature, not necessarily, well — true.

The Jersey Devil could use more fans. More fanatics looking for, craving more sightings of the winged beast who represents a portion of our home state.

Where are the people trying to pull off elaborate hoaxes, displaying the body of the Jersey Devil? Where are the blurry photos of what is supposed to be the Jersey Devil? Why aren’t people reporting sightings in Salem or Woodbury (where it was seen in 1909 or 1910 or so) or in Camden or Millville?

Enough with the past! Jersey Devil, we need you to show your face now!